San Bernardino City Clerk Gigi Hanna target of recall

SAN BERNARDINO -- City Clerk Gigi Hanna was served Monday with notice of an intent to circulate a recall petition against her, bringing to 10 the number of San Bernardino elected officials targeted by recalls.

The notice is signed by resident Rey Dandy Lachica, who says he worked alone and is not affiliated with the effort to recall Mayor Pat Morris, City Attorney James F. Penman and the seven members of the City Council.

"I don't have any association with any group. I'm just very much aware of what's going on in the city," Lachica said. "We have to stop the misbehavior."

Lachica's notice alleges four grounds for recall, which he declined to elaborate on in an interview Monday:

That Hanna released information to the press that the city could have had legal objections to releasing, which Lachica said harmed the city's position in its bankruptcy case;

That she permitted the release of Social Security numbers and home addresses of private citizens in public documents and the city's website;

That she failed to have City Clerk license inspectors issue citations to illegal businesses, permitting continued prohibited activity and costing the city "thousands of dollars in fines and penalties ";

That she created liability by not keeping accurate minutes of City Council meetings.

Hanna confirmed she had received the notice, but said it was baseless.

"I am going to flatly deny all the charges and not go into specifics at this point," she said. "I think it's really indicative of the political atmosphere in this town."

Hanna, whose office is in charge of the recall process, said she was recusing herself and has contacted the county registrar of voters and secretary of state's office to see how she should proceed. In the meantime, Deputy City Clerk Linda Sutherland will handle recall questions, she said.

Getting Hanna out of the way so an attorney friendly to City Attorney James F. Penman would handle legal questions related to the other recalls was the plan all along, charged Scott Beard, responsible officer for the effort to recall nine elected officials.

"The service is not about recalling Ms. Hanna; it is about attempting to force her office into recusing itself from handling issues dealing with the recall process and the November election," Beard wrote in a statement. "That would allow the city attorney to gain control of the outside counsel providing legal advice regarding recall and election matters. Simply, it is an attempt to gain influence to continue their corruption."

The registrar of voters, county counsel, and/or secretary of state should handle the recall and election, Beard said.

City Attorney James F. Penman said he didn't see what he gained by Hanna's recusal, unless Beard's group thought she would have helped them.

"I'm not trying to recall anybody," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, the city clerk is free to select any outside attorney she wants. "That has always been my practice."

Penman said the recall probably would mean the registrar of voters, guided by county counsel, would run the recall process, and he had no objection to that.

Beard said he didn't seek to recall Hanna or Treasurer David Kennedy because he did not consider them responsible for the city's bankruptcy, unlike the rest of the city's elected officials. Kennedy is now the only elected official not facing a recall, although as of Monday afternoon Councilwoman Wendy McCammack still had not been served with notice of an intent to circulate a recall petition.

If 15 percent of the city's registered voters sign a petition to recall Hanna, her recall will be on the November ballot.